A piano prodigy, Hahn was a student of Jules Massenet and Camille Saint-Saens. In addition to performing, he sang, composed opera, symphonies, songs, and piano pieces, and worked as a conductor and critic. His lifelong friendship with Marcel Proust proved inspirational to both artists.

The present work depicts the musician in a fantastical setting saturated with symbolism which parallels similar qualities in Hahn's work. A music afficionado himself, Cadmus presents Hahn as a fin-de-siele dandy who is kissed by Cupid-Eros to inspire his creative genius. The figure pulling at Hahn's sleeve has been identified by Lincoln Kirstein as one of the family of Beaux-Arts figures decorating the paris Opera. He may also be identified as Pan whose associations with the world of music is well documented. The painting, executed in 1963, directly refers to Hahn's suite of waltzes Le Ruban Denoue (The Ribbon Unloosed).